September 19, 2025 – Emporia State came out on top in a pair of tight matches on Friday afternoon, taking down Oklahoma Baptist in five sets before defeating Southern Nazarene in three to complete the 4-0 weekend at the MIAA-GAC Crossover.
ESU 3, OBU 2
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set one was controlled by the Bison from the first serve, scoring five straight to begin the match before eventually leading 14-1 which forced the Hornets to use both of their timeouts. Emporia State was unable to mount a rally in the first frame, falling 25-11.
The second frame was back-and-forth between the Hornets and Bison, with Emporia State holding a 10-8 lead. Oklahoma Baptist then responded with five straight points for the largest lead of the set. After the scoring run from OBU, Emporia State rallied to take a 22-18 advantage and were able to hold on to a 25-23 set two win.
Oklahoma Baptist again got an early jump on the Hornets, this time in set three as Emporia State trailed 6-1 early in the set. The Hornets answered back, eventually tying the set 12-12 before five straight points by the Bison extended the lead back to 17-12. Emporia State would score eight of the next nine points to take a 20-18 lead. Following a brief run by the Bison to tie the score at 21-21, the Hornets rattled off four straight to seal set three 25-21.
In set four, the Hornets got behind early, and could not find their way back as Oklahoma Baptist was able to push their way to a 25-15 win in the fourth frame.
The Hornets got the jump on the Bison in the fifth, scoring five of the first seven points and eventually building a 10-5 advantage. Despite the lead, Emporia State was unable to push for the final five points, as OBU eventually rallied all the way in front to take a 15-14 lead, forcing a Hornet timeout. Following the timeout, Emporia State scored three straight, which included kills from
Nyia Anderson and
Lavra Krizanic to rally back for the 17-15 win in set five to clinch the match 3-2.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Nyia Anderson led the way with 15 kills on .250 hitting while picking up 15 digs.
Emma Klett and
Camilla Ossola both had 13 kills, with Ossola hitting .304 in the match. In the middle,
Mia Frisbie hit .444 with five kills while
Brooklynn Weaver added six of her own. Frisbie also had three solo blocks and three block assists while Weaver had five.
Brailee Bogle and
Delainee Dexter combined for 51 assists in the match.
ESU 3, SNU 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set between the Hornets and Crimson Storm was close throughout, with Emporia State's largest lead coming with a 14-9 advantage midway through the set. However, Southern Nazarene was able push in front late, claiming a 21-19 lead over the Hornets. Following and ESU timeout, tied the match at 21-21 before two more Crimson Storm points put them ahead 23-21. Emporia State then scored four straight to clinch set one 25-23.
Set two brought more of the same as neither team led by more than a few points throughout the frame. Midway through the set, the Hornets trailed 13-10 before rallying to take a 20-17 lead. After the Crimson Storm brought the score level at 23-23, Emporia State reached set point four times, and after SNU kept the Hornets from taking a 2-0 lead,
Delainee Dexter delivered a kill to clinch the set 29-27.
In set three, Emporia State jumped ahead 9-3 early on, before Southern Nazarene rallied back to tie the frame at 10-10. The set remained close with the score tied 15-15, before the Hornets pulled away to take set three 25-20.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Lavra Krizanic led the way with 15 kills, which set a new career-high for the freshman from Slovenia.
Nyia Anderson had nine kills while
Mia Frisbie and
Emma Klett each had seven of their own.
Brailee Bogle had 20 assists while
Delainee Dexter had 15.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will open MIAA action in their home opener against #21 Missouri Western on Friday, September 26. First serve between the Hornets and Griffons is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. from White Auditorium.
NOTES
Emporia State has won nine straight games, the longest winning streak since the 2009 season when the Hornets won 13 consecutive matches.
